With school underway, students in Pearl River County can no longer stay up late and sleep in until noon. Getting the recommended amount of sleep is essential for children to grow because a lack of it will affect their performance in school and their overall health.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, adolescents who don’t get the required hours of sleep are more likely to be overweight, depressed, use illicit drugs, smoke tobacco, drink and not engage in daily physical activity.

Unfortunately, high school students don’t sleep as much as they should on school nights. The CDC reports less than one third of high school students sleep the recommended eight hours.

Nowadays, children are constantly on the go. Between school, extracurricular activities, spending time with friends and homework, children have hectic schedules and need time to recuperate at night in order to function properly the next day.

Technology plays a major role in hindering a child’s sleep. Between instant messaging, TV shows, social media and video games, children have many options at their disposal and as such may not get the recommended eight hours of sleep because they want to reach the next level in their video game or message friends until the wee hours of the morning.

While sleep may seem mundane, children need to be aware of the benefits that result from going to bed at a decent hour instead of using their technological devices late at night. Getting plenty of sleep will ensure they are well rested for school the next day.

While it’s important to study and attend class in order to reach academic success, sleeping is equally important.

Without sleep, the body and mind won’t function properly. While it may take students time to readjust to a new schedule, they need to remember to sleep the recommended eight hours to be ready for the year ahead.